Can I still do an MRI after having a heart stent placed? Experts from Changsha Fourth Hospital answer your questions

"Doctor, I have a stent in my heart, and now I need to have a checkup because of back pain. Can I do an MRI?"

In clinical work, we often encounter patients who need to undergo magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) after coronary stent implantation. So, can MRI be performed after a heart stent is installed?

This depends on the material of the stent and the specific situation of the patient.

1. Material of the bracket

With the continuous advancement of medical material science, most of the current coronary stent products are made of non-magnetic or weakly magnetic materials, such as 316L stainless steel, nickel-titanium alloy and cobalt-chromium alloy. The stents made of these materials will basically not shift, deform or generate heat in the magnetic field.

2. Consensus among domestic and foreign experts

According to the "Chinese Expert Consensus on Safety Management of Magnetic Resonance Imaging (2017)" and the expert consensus of the American Heart Association, almost all coronary stent products on the market are safe during MRI examinations and can be examined on magnetic resonance imaging equipment below 3.0T (inclusive).

For peripheral artery stents implanted before 2007, although they may be weakly magnetic, MRI is generally considered safe 6 weeks after surgery.

Deng Limeng, Director of the Medical Imaging Department of Changsha Fourth Hospital, kindly reminds: With the development of medical technology, the safety of MRI examinations on low-field magnetic resonance equipment for patients after coronary artery stenting has been widely recognized. If patients have any questions before the examination, they can consult the staff and decide whether to undergo MRI examination based on the staff's advice and their own situation.

Hunan Medical Chat Special Author: Wang Chensi, Changsha Fourth Hospital

Follow @湖南医聊 to get more health science information!

(Edited by YT)